MILAN – Thursday evening on Inter Channel means a new episode of Caffe Doppio and this time Mauro Icardi was in the hot seat.
"We got back to winning ways in the league against Lazio," the captain began. "This needs to be the norm for us; we should use this as our starting point for next season. Suning want the best for Inter and I’m sure new players will arrive to help us achieve the objectives we all have in mind. I’ve said from day one that I want to win with this club: Inter mean so much to me."
Ever since he joined, Icardi has posed a constant threat in the opposition’s penalty box, scoring 76 goals in 147 appearances.
"Scoring is the best thing there is for a striker. It’s vital that I’m able to consistently find the net. It’s amazing when you hear the emotion of the crowd and celebrate with your team-mates.
"It’s difficult to put it into words," he continued. "Every now and again, you might get a head-butt while celebrating, but you don’t feel it. You’re so happy that you don’t even realise it’s happened. I like celebrating in front of the fans and being close to the people."
This season has been no exception, with many strikes to choose from and some of them exceptionally well taken.
"The best goal I scored this season was definitely at home against Fiorentina. I cut inside Gonzalo Rodriguez, beat another opponent and then scored. It needed great technique, helped by a fantastic ball from Antonio Candreva from deep. He has given me so many assists, one of his great qualities. I prefer balls to the near post; the movement comes naturally to me.
"The goal I scored in the last minute against Torino in the first half of the season was pretty good too. I got the ball from Palacio, held it up, turned and let fly with a powerful shot when the space opened up: a classic goal from an out-and-out striker.
"As for my involvement in the build-up, one of my jobs is to stretch the defence to free up space for my team-mates. We often talk about this on the pitch and maybe some people don’t notice. When I joined Inter, I was simply a poacher and nothing more. Roberto Mancini was the first to ask me to help the team more.
"We’ve worked more on what we do up front this year: we’ve pressed higher up the pitch and this has benefitted me not only in terms of goals scored but also the number of assists I’ve produced."
Finally, the No.9 spoke about the importance of his family and life in Milan.
"I’m very happy here,” he concluded, "it’s a great city. If only there were the sea as well, Milan would be perfect. I’ve never really experienced it as a single man, because I started my family here. The support of Wanda and the kids is fundamental. They’re always there in the stands to cheer me on."
